Door-releasing apparatus.



B. L. BITTING.

DOOR RELEASING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 7, 1910, A

961,5? Patented June 14,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ANDREW a. GRAHAM cu, Puomumcanwuzns, WASHINGTON. n. c

B. L. BITTING. DOOR RELEASING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 7, 1910.

Patented June 14, 1910.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

ANDREW R GRAHAM co PHOTO LwosRAPHERs "UNITED STATS PATENT @FFTQFL.

DOOR-RELEASING APPARATUS.

Application filed April 7,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN L. BITTING, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rural Hall, in the county of Forsyth and State of NorthCarolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-Releasing Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in apparatus forautomatically releasing and opening doors, windows, blinds, etc., andthe object in view is to produce a simple and etlicient means of thisnature so arranged that in cases of emergency the door or window may beopened by a person approaching it from one side or the other.

The invention comprises various details of construction and combinationsand arrangements of parts which will be hereinafter fully described andthen specifically defined in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a front elevation showing two doors held together by myimproved holding and releasing device. Fig. 2 is a sectional viewthrough the tilting members which actuate the release. Fig. 3 is a topplan view of the arrangement shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a verticalsectional view of the device as applied to a door. Fig. 5 is a detailperspective view of the latch, and Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line6-6 of Fig. 4.

Reference now being the drawings by letter, sliding doors mounted WheelsB movable upon the track B, and C is a guide rail which guides the upperportions of the doors as is common with sliding doors. Fastened to theouter edge of each door at any suitable location is a rope D, each ofwhich passes over a pulley D and has a weight D connected thereto, thepurpose of which weights is to cause the doors to open after they havebeen unlocked or released.

Referring to Fig.

had to the details of A, A designate two upon anti-friction L of thedrawings, I

Specification of Letters Patent.

to be a full, clear, and

Patented June re, 1910.

1910. Serial No. 553,932.

have shown an opening E formed in the floor of a building adjacent tothe doors and there may be a similar opening formed upon opposite sideof the doors for the purpose of causing the latter to be opened fromeither side. Said opening has a platform F seated therein with openspaces fl adjacent to each end. Tilting levers I and I are mounted uponthe pivotal pins 1 carried by the lugs J which project from the underside of the platform. Said lever I has an elongated slot N formedadjacent to its inner end and O designates a pin carried by the lever Iand adapted to engage said slot and have a sliding movement therein. Theinner portion of each lever is weighted, as at Q, for the purpose ofnormally holding the outer ends of the lever at their highest limits anda block M is mounted upon the upper surface of each lever and saidblocks are adapted to fill the openings or spaces H at the ends of theplatform, the upper surfaces of said blocks being substantially flushwith the upper surface of the platform and floor upon which the latteris seated. Fastened to the free end of the lever M is an angled latchplate R having notches R formed in the upper edge thereof and secured toeach door is an angled plate or catch S adapted each to engage one ofsaid notches when the doors are closed. thereby forming means forholding the adjacent edges of the two doors together or in closedrelation.

The operation of my apparatus will be readily understood and is asfollows :Assuming the parts to be in their normal positions, as shown inFig. l of the drawings, the blocks M are flush with the upper surface ofthe floor. hen it is desired to open the doors, a person by steppingupon one block or the other may cause the two lovers to tilt, the latterbeing pivotally connected at their adjacent ends and, as the outer endsof the levers are depressed, the latch plate R will be withdrawn fromthe angled plates S and the weights D will cause the two doors to openand v remain open until they are closed in any suitable manner. Afterthe doors are opened and the pressure is relieved from the blocks M, thelatch plate will be returned to its normal position so that, when thedoors are brought together, they will be automatically locked together.

WVhat I claim to be new is 1. In combination with sliding doors, a latchplate fastened to the lower end of each door, a platform,

levers pivotally connected thereto and having their inner ends pivotedtogether,

a projection upon one of sand levers positioned in the path of saidlatch plates and adapted to engage and hold the latter when the doorsare closed.

2. In combination with sliding doors, a

latch plate fastened to the lower end of each door, a platform,

levers pivotally connected thereto and having their inner ends pivotedtogether,

and weighted, depressible blocks BENJAMIN LEWIS BITTING.

Witnesses:

SQUIRE L. VEST, ELLIS E. SHORE.

